Today (Thursday), U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Susan Wild (D-PA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), David Kustoff (R-TN), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Don Bacon (R-NE) led a bipartisan effort to increase funding for the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
In a letter to the chair and ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, the lawmakers requested $2 million for the Special Envoy”s annual budget, an increase of $500,000 over the amount it received last year.
The additional money would help the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism better fulfill its mission of fighting antisemitism across the globe.
Among the Special Envoy”s crucial roles is encouraging and advising foreign governments to take steps that ensure the safety and security of their respective Jewish communities, including developing national action plans and appointing national coordinators. But while there are many more countries that deserve attention and could benefit from an official visit, the Special Envoy has had to decline invitations due to a lack of resources. The additional funding sought by the legislators would help make sure that the Special Envoy has the resources it needs.
The letter from the Congressmembers also calls for a provision to ensure continuity in the Special Envoy”s staff in between presidential administrations so that the Special Envoy”s work to combat antisemitism continues without delay from administration to administration.
“Antisemitism is a tangible and growing threat faced by both the American Jewish community and Jews around the world,” the lawmakers wrote. “In 2019, then United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, published a report on antisemitism that shared “serious concern that the frequency of antisemitic incidents appears to be increasing in magnitude” and that “antisemitism is toxic to democracy and mutual respect of citizens and threatens societies in which it goes unchallenged” in several countries around the world. The fact that stereotypes about Jewish control of business and the financial markets, and questions of Jewish loyalty – to their country or their community – remain widespread only heightens the need for the work of the Special Envoy. This trend has been evidenced further by the Special Rapporteur”s 2022 action plan that noted antisemitism has only expanded since his 2019 report.”
The correspondence was signed by a total of 83 Members of Congress.
In addition to leading the letter, Meng, Manning and Smith serve as Co-Chairs of the House Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Antisemitism, and Wild, Salazar, Kustoff, Wasserman Schultz and Bacon serve as members of the taskforce.
The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism is an entity of the U.S. State Department that was created by Congress in 2004 with the purpose of fighting antisemitism around the world. The role is currently filled by Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2022 after President Biden nominated her for the position.
The State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee sets funding levels for the Special Envoy. Congresswoman Meng is a member of the Subcommittee.
